1st Round Cup victory for Panthers

Set on a gorgeous day, and a well maintained pitch away at Amber Valley Rugby Club.

Amber Valley had most of the possession for first 10 minutes, and put some real pressure on the visiting team, an opening score from the home team seemed inevitable but the Panthers dug their claws in and kept the opposition out. The home side continued this barrage until Chesterfield gave up a penalty, Amber Valley opted for a kick at goal but were denied by the upright.

Despite all this pressure it was the Panthers who opened the scoring, around the 15 minute mark, the visitors began their counter attack, and the home side gave away a penalty in their own 22, thoughts about kicking for 3 points were expressed but a quick penalty from Leon Owen resulted in the Welshman crashing over, Adam Pedley with the conversion.
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This boosted the Panthers confidence and the second try came just a few minutes after with James Marshall planting one in the corner, Pedley with another conversion.
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The hosts attempted to respond but the Panthers, despite being the smaller pack, held their own well in the centre field. A loose ball edged toward the touch line before being scooped up by Jake Blair around the 22m line, who went on a rampaging dash, cutting the defence to pieces and setting up another score for James Marshall before the half time whistle, Pedley converting.
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Half Time Amber Valley 0 - 21 Chesterfield Panthers

Panthers were looking confident but composed, the second half promised more of the same, Leon Owen assisting Glenn Grayson who came straight out of the blocks to assert some real dominance on the game just 5 minutes into the second half, Adam Pedley converting again.
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Amber Valley were beginning to look out of the game and knew they had to pull it back soon, ruthless possession and a will to survive saw them dig in under the posts until they got over the line and earn a converted try.
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This retaliation wouldn’t go unanswered, Panthers were straight back in Valley faces, quick movement and good forward play saw new prop Jason Rushton pop his cherry under posts, Adam Pedley converting.
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At this point Mark Blair made some changes, for various reasons, to preserve some of his players for next week, to keep the tempo high against a tiring home team, and to allow his bench to show what they’ve got.
Ryan Hanes on for Lee Whitmore, Jason Rushton moving to Hooker.
Alex Hughes on for Rich Keeling, Leon Owen moving to the Flank.
Paddy Holleworth on for Jamie Barnett.
Sam Martin on for Glenn Grayson, James Marshall moving to Full Back.

These fresh legs gave the visitors a second wind, and added extra pressure to the scrums, great work from Steve Hatt under the high ball set up James Marshall for his hat trick around the the 30 minute mark, Adam Pedley converting.
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Down but not out, Amber Valley had to give the home crowd something to go home with, upping the pressure and forcing a penalty near the Panther try line allowed them to crash under the posts to score and convert with the last play of the game.

Final Score Amber Valley 14 - 42 Chesterfield Panthers

Overall, this team are shaping up to be real contenders, all aspects of the game are improving with every training session and game. There will be fierce competition to get in to this team, and the coaches are spoilt for choice, especially in the backs.

Man of Match - Adam Pedley, cool as a cucumber with the kicking and great dictation of the game, led well.

1. Jason Rushton - Proved himself as a Panther, scored under the posts with ease, took over the hooking duties in the second half. One to watch this season.
2. Lee Whitmore - His rugby knowledge is second to none, and shows in every aspect of his game, one wonky throw but other than that had a great game.
3. Lee Laughton (C) - The skipper kept his team in check, especially as frustrations began to show in the later part of the game. Scrummed and lifted with ease.
4. Jamie Barnett - Great physicality and line out capability, let his frustration get the better of him at one point.
5. Conner Hayes - Improving with every game, proving himself as a senior player and dominated the line outs.
6. Jack Short - As viscous as ever, great work rate at the breakdown, unlucky to not score when he broke through in the first half.
7. Rich Keeling - Had a great first half, played at a good tempo and never looked fazed by anything Amber Valley threw at him.
8. Leon Owen - Great ball carrying, and added to his flexibility as a player by switching roles.
9. Jordan Grayson - As always, had complete control of the pack and the pace off the game. Can speed or slow down a game at will and isn’t afraid to take a big hit!
10. Adam Pedley - Perfect kicking, even in the tight angles, commanded the flow of the game to earn today’s Man of the Match.
11. Jake Blair - Tremendous pace and ownership of his channel, plenty of gas in the tank.
12. Scott Widdowson - Cemented the back line and as always never shys away from a challenge, came away with plenty of proof.
13. James Marshall - Hat trick hero, with tremendous pace and snake hip steps.
14. Steven Hatt - Really maturing as a player, not biting despite Amber Valley’s efforts. Great pace and looking good under high ball.
15. Glenn Grayson - Ran some great lines, great pace and manoeuvrability.
16. Ryan Hanes - A little bit too keen, but enjoyed this weeks scrums.
17. Patrick Holleworth - Eddie Jones would describe him as a perfect ‘finisher’ comes off the bench with an injection of energy to finish off the opponents.
18. Alex Hughes - Plenty of life left in the old war horse! Came on in the second half to help seal the victory.
19. Sam Martin - Added to the fresh legs coming on from the bench, and proved himself in contention for this seasons very good looking back line!
20. Greg Fritchley - Played in the friendly on the other pitch, but deserves a mention nonetheless.